SCSD graduation rate outpaces state average
Published 11:45 am Wednesday, January 17, 2018
LIVE OAK, Fla. — Suwannee County’s high school graduation rates increased to 90.5 percent for 2016-2017 from 89.6 percent for 2015-16, according to the Florida Department of Education.
This increase follows the major increase last year from 67.5 percent for 2014-15 to 89.6 percent for 2015-16.
Suwannee County’s rate is the fourth highest in the state, according to the FDOE, trailing just Gilchrist (93.4), Nassau (90.9) and St. Johns (90.9) counties.
Florida’s high school graduation rate increased by 1.6 percentage points over the past year to 82.3 percent and has increased significantly during the past 13 years.
| 2016-17 | 90.5 |
| 2015-16 | 89.6 |
| 2014-15 | 67.5 |
| 2013-14 | 76.6 |
| 2012-13 | 59.5 |
Suwannee High School increased to 94.4 percent from 92.6 percent.
Branford High School increased to 97.2 percent from 93.8 percent.
“There is a little bit of healthy competition between Branford High School and Suwannee High School,” Superintendent Ted Roush said.
Assistant Superintendent Janene Fitzpatrick added: “Teachers are recognizing students struggling and trying to start working with them in ninth or 10th grade.”
Florida’s graduation rate is a cohort graduation rate.
The students that enter ninth grade together are considered the cohort. Students that transfer or drop out can count negatively towards the graduation rate.
Fitzpatrick said the schools have to keep track of students that have transferred out and see if they are graduating.
The county’s rate for the virtual school is at 18 percent.
Fitzpatrick said there are many students that enter virtual school and leave before really getting started but that still affects the rate.
She said the virtual school will go up once they clean up the data.
Roush said there has also been a lot of emphasis and opportunities created for students to retrieve credit or make up a course that have allowed students to graduate on time.
“We are proud of the schools for what they have done,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s their badge of honor that they have done it.”
